Changes in the Rheological Properties of Mixtures of Water-Soluble Cellulose Ethers under Mechanical Treatment

摘要

Aqueous solutions of cellulose ethers and their mixtures are widely used in various technological processes. It is often desirable to achieve such a structural organization of a solution that the technologically necessary viscosity of the solution occurs at the minimum possible polymer concentration. One of the methods for thickening polysaccharide solutions is their mechanical treatment in various apparatuses. In this work, we consider the effect of mechanical treatment on the structural and rheological properties of aqueous solutions of sodium carboxymethylcellulose (Na-CMC), methyloxypropylcellulose (MOPC), and their mixtures. The cellulose ethers chosen are extensively used in the oil and gas, textile, food, cosmetic, and other industries. These polymers had similar degrees of polymerization (550 for Na-CMC and 500 for MOPC) but differed significantly (by approximately a factor of 3) in viscosity. From 3 wt % aqueous solutions, mixtures with different (10-90%) Na-CMC and MOPC concentrations were prepared.